The rake’s progress Tom Jones sings at North Shore Music Theatre BY SALLY CRAGIN
	Tom Jones: The Musical Book and lyrics by Paul Leigh. Music by George Stiles. Based on the novel by Henry Fielding. Directed by Gabriel Barre. Music direction by Lynne Shankel. Choreography by Christopher Gattelli. Set by James Youmans. Lighting by Donald Holder. Costumes by Pamela Scofield. Sound by John A. Stone. With Stephen Bienskie, Bill Buell, David Burnham, Larry Daggett, Laura Marie Duncan, Angela Gaylor, Sara Gettelfinger, Tim Jerome, Barbara McCulloh, Michele Ragusa, Sheri Sanders, Jeremy Webb, and Ron Wisniski. At the North Shore Music Theatre, Beverly, through June 20.

Centuries later, Tom Jones, the eponymous hero of Henry Fielding’s 1749 picaresque novel, still seems daring. This sybaritic lad is born on the wrong side of the bedsheet and then spends most of his life back under said sheet displaying neither caution nor conscience. Sure, he’s got plenty to sing about, but can you build a musical around a rake’s progress? The one in its American premiere at North Shore Music Theatre shows that you can. Librettist/lyricist Paul Leigh and composer George Stiles have reduced a sprawling narrative to a biting and amusing entertainment that seems both modern and true to Fielding’s spirit. Augmented by the inventive director Gabriel Barre and a terrific production team, Tom Jones is a feast for the eyes and, for the most part, for the ears as well.

NSMT might seem a difficult locale for a multi-character musical. It’s a theater in the round, albeit one with a revolving stage, a trapdoor, and a perch that descends from the upper rows of seats down to the playing space. Yet the scenic limitations prove a strength, since the extremely brief scenes and songs (some just a few bars) that make up this piece from Britishers Leigh and Stiles mean that things need to move unencumbered and quickly. Barre’s dynamic direction keeps the players in constant motion.

And God knows, Tom Jones leads a busy life. Born a bastard, he’s being raised alongside the sinister Blifil, the ostensible heir to the Allworthy estate. But Tom is Mr. Allworthy’s favorite and is also beloved of Sophia Western, his beautiful and spunky neighbor. Marriage between the two is unthinkable, and before long, both flee to London. They’ll reunite, of course, but not before encountering a Hogarthian supporting cast, from dithery and dissatisfied Mrs. Fitzpatrick, who’s in lust with Tom, to corrupt London hostess Lady Bellaston, also in lust with Tom — not to mention a few men who either thwart or assist our hero.

The score by Olivier Award winner (for Honk!) Stiles is mostly enjoyable, a motley mix of contemporary ballads with splice-ins that include sumptuous 1930s-movie-style orchestrations (replete with Busby Berkeley precision dancing) and a set piece done as a fugue and titled "Sir!" This last number has harpsichord embellishment and counterpoint that might have amused Bach. One by one, the characters turn up at a boarding house, and the comedy builds as they discover one another. If only the NSMT acoustics were kinder to ensemble scenes — multiple mikes equal muddy sonics, especially when anyone sings louder than mezzo forte.

But there’s plenty to look at, as beds emerge from the floor at centerstage and then disappear, or a window frame descends, but briefly. Scenic spectacle derives from the extravagant and witty corsets, transparent hoop skirts and panniers, and wigs made of colored ribbons and backcombed far beyond Amadeus. When not on stage, the actors sit alongside the playing space, where they provide all the sound effects (galloping horses, clanking swords, twittering birds) using props or their own vocal abilities.

Toothy hunk David Burnham brings a comfortable mix of smarm and sincerity to the role of Tom; he’s likably egotistical, and more of a belter than Angela Gaylor, who brings an operatic voice to her saucy minx of a Sophia. The supporting roles are all expertly overplayed; special kudos goes to Ron Wisniski’s sniveling and scheming Mr. Thwackum, Jeremy Webb’s odious Blifil, and Sara Gettelfinger’s dual turn as the saintly Bridget Allworthy and the sensuous Lady Bellaston. And give a tip of the hat to North Shore Music Theatre as well. Long ago, Broadway economics decreed that the tryout system made no financial sense, especially for musicals. But by introducing new work that just might get to Broadway, NSMT defies conventional wisdom. Which is just the kind of cheek Tom would have approved of.